Wanted Man Shoots Himself in Downtown Belton

UPDATE: Paul Romer with the City of Belton issued the following news release Tuesday evening to shed more light on what reportedly happened:

An attempt by the Belton Police Department to apprehend a man wanted for an aggravated assault that occurred over the weekend ended with the man taking his own life today.

At about 11:51 a.m. Belton police located the man walking near the 700 block of 2nd Avenue. The individual, whom police believed to be armed, refused repeated requests to stop and talk about the weekend incident. As police continued to follow behind the man on foot, a Belton detective in an unmarked unit pulled in front of the man in the 500 block of 2nd Avenue, in front of the Bell County Annex parking lot. The man walked across the street while reaching into his waistband.

The detective pursued on foot and grabbed the man from behind in an attempt to subdue him. During the brief struggle, the man pulled a gun out of his waistband shot himself in the head.

The name of the man is being withheld to allow notification of next of kin.

Police in Belton say a man wanted for domestic aggravated assault shot himself while struggling with police in Downtown Belton Tuesday morning.

Alex Cano with our news partner, KWTX, reports that patrol officers spotted the suspect near the Belton Annex at 550 E 2nd Avenue shortly before Noon and contacted more officers for assistance.

When an officer and a detective approached the man, he reportedly pulled a gun and got into a struggle with the authorities, during which they say he shot himself.

Paramedics administered CPR at the scene, but efforts to revive the man were unsuccessful.

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